Yield: 6 mocha muffins // Total Time: 30 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
I don’t know about you, but I will gladly enjoy my morning coffee with a coffee flavored pastry, especially when it’s in the form of these small batch mocha muffins! Made with coffee grounds in the dough (don’t be scared!) and chocolate chunks throughout, these are not only super flavorful, but also moist and delicious!
Small batch mocha muffins recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Mix the batter carefully
It is super important to not overmix the muffin batter. Overmixing the batter leads to more gluten development which is not desirable in these muffins. Not only will you get those pointy tops on the muffins, but you will end up with tough and chewy muffins.
Room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. If you have ever had your batter look curdled, it is most likely due to the ingredients separating from being at different temperatures. Take out the egg and sour cream at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe.
Err on the side of under baking
Muffins like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. Start checking at 14 minutes with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out wet, check them again in 2 minutes and so on until only a few moist crumbs stick to the toothpick.
Get those perfect muffin tops
The trick to getting those nicely domed muffin tops is all in your oven’s temperature! Bake the muffins at 400°F / 205°C for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F / 175°C and continue baking until done. The super high heat will make the muffins rise nice and tall!
Get evenly distributed muffin batter
My favorite way to evenly distribute muffin batter is to use cookie scoops! Works perfectly every time. So long are the days of eyeballing which muffin may need a little more batter.
Ingredients and substitutions
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness. We will use flour in the muffins and some in the streusel.
Ground coffee: don’t be scared, but we’re going to put coffee grounds straight into the batter and in the streusel. They are 100% safe to eat, and help us pack a ton of coffee flavor into these muffins. We will use some in the muffins and some in the streusel. If you don’t have coffee grounds, you can use instant espresso or instant coffee in it’s place!
Baking powder: for helping the muffins rise.
Baking soda: for helping the muffins rise.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the muffins.
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the muffins. We will use butter in the muffins and some in the streusel.
Granulated sugar: for sweetening the muffins and helping them retain moisture.
Egg: for binding and for moisture.
Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
Sour cream: for moisture and making sure the muffins stay tender. You can substitute in buttermilk or greek yogurt if needed.
Semi-sweet chocolate bar: for getting chocolate chunks evenly dispersed throughout the muffins. Feel free to use chocolate chips, and your favorite chocolate!
Light brown sugar: for the streusel. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can use granulated in the streusel!
Powdered sugar: to make a simple vanilla glaze (optional).
How to make mocha muffins
These muffins come together super quickly and easily in a small bowl!
1. Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients until you have some small and some large streusel chunks. Set aside.
2. Make the muffin batter. The batter comes together in one bowl thanks to the use of melted butter. No stand or hand mixer required!
3. Fill the muffin pan. Evenly distribute the muffin batter between six muffin liners, and top with streusel. I like to use a cookie scoop for ease of distributing.
4. Bake the muffins. Bake the muffins starting at 400°F / 205°C for 5 minutes. This is going to help the batter rise and give you those beautifully high domed muffin tops. Reduce the heat to 350°F / 175°C for the remaining time.
5. Glaze the muffins. This part is optional and is more decorative than for flavor. All you need to do is give the ingredients a good whisk, then use a spoon to drizzle it over the muffins!
How to store these muffins
Like most baked goods, these muffins will definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Small batch mocha muffins Q & A
Can I double this recipe?
Of course! Obviously they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe to make 12 delicious mocha muffins. However, I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
Why are there coffee grounds in the muffins?
In this recipe, the grounds are directly in the batter and streusel in order to get the most flavor put into them. If we were to use brewed coffee, these muffins would be more dry and less tender since we would be hydrating them with water rather than sour cream. Don’t worry, it is 100% safe to eat! I personally love the texture and taste that it brings, but if you would prefer something else, you can dissolve instant espresso or coffee in the room temperature sour cream before using!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
Muffin pan: I absolutely love USA pan products because of their great quality. This is their muffin pan.
Cookie scoops: A life saver for getting evenly distributed muffins. I have gone through a lot of cookie scoops in my baking journey, and these ones have lasted me the longest without breaking. Plus they are dishwasher safe!
Vanilla: I love using Rodelle vanilla extract. Not only is it a great quality product, but it’s on the lower end of the price that vanilla can be! This is the one I use.
For a full list of tools, equipment and ingredients that I use and love, you can check out this page here.
Did you make these small batch mocha muffins?
If you made these small batch mocha muffins I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Small Batch Mocha Muffins
Ingredients
Coffee Streusel
- 15 g butter (1 tbsp.)
- 15 g light brown sugar (1 tbsp.)
- 25 g all purpose flour (3 tbsp. + 1 tsp.)
- 1 tsp. ground coffee
Mocha Muffins
- 56 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp.)
- 90 g granulated sugar (¼ c. + 3 tbsp.)
- 1 egg room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 95 g sour cream (⅓ c. + 1 ½ tbsp.)
- 120 g all purpose flour (1 c.)
- 1 tbsp. ground coffee
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 100 g semi sweet chocolate chopped
Vanilla Glaze
- 60 g powdered sugar (½ c.)
- 1 tbsp. milk
- ¼ tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Coffee Streusel
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Add in the brown sugar, flour, and coffee grounds. Mix around with a fork until you have small and large chunks of streusel. Set aside.
Mocha Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 205°C. Line a muffin pan with 6 parchment liners, alternating.
- In a small microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Whisk in the sugar, followed by the egg, vanilla, and sour cream.
- Add in the flour, ground coffee, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently whisk the mixture together until there are only a few flour streaks left.
- Add in the chopped chocolate, and whisk just until no flour streaks remain.
- Evenly distribute the muffin batter between the six parchment liners. Top each muffin with ~1 tbsp. of the coffee streusel.
- Bake the muffins at 400°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F / 175°C. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Vanilla Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add more powdered sugar or milk to get your desired consistency. Once the muffins have cooled to room temperature, drizzle the glaze over them.
- Serve and enjoy!
perfectly written!!! this was one of the first things I’ve baked from an online recipe (if not The first) and it made me feel so confident in my skills as a baker😭❤ just made them again and i am in LOVE w them!! i love the strong coffee and chocolate flavour. the glaze is suchhhh a perfect addition. not to mention these lil guys r even better the day after. so moist and flavourful!!! i love them!!
Ah thank you so much and I am so honored to be one of the first recipes you’ve ever made!! So happy you love this recipe! 🙂